Limitations of SARC-F in the diagnosis of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults

PurposeThe SARC-F is a recommended screening tool for sarcopenia; however, its sensitivity is reported to be very low. This study aimed to confirm the diagnostic efficacy of the SARC-F and whether it is affected by population characteristics.MethodsIn this study, 2 cohorts of 1060 community-dwelling older adults, who were monitored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, were included. In addition to the overall dataset, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to obtain the SARC-F results for sarcopenia among the datasets for only those older in age (over 75 years), those with higher frailty points (above the median total score for the Kihon Checklist points), those with lower grip strength (below the median), lower gait speed (below the median), and those with comorbidities (hypertension, cerebral vascular disease, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus).ResultsIn the overall dataset, sensitivity and specificity were 3.9% and 97.3%, respectively. In analyzing the area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity for older age and low physical function datasets were significant, but had low values. The diabetes dataset had higher values but did not effectively diagnose sarcopenia at a cutoff value of 4.ConclusionThe SARC-F had high specificity for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults with low physical function. However, its sensitivity was low. Despite these limitations, it may be used as a screening tool for sarcopenia in selected populations, such as adults in hospitals or nursing homes.     

结核分枝杆菌感染T细胞斑点试验对淋巴结结核的辅助诊断价值研究

目的 探讨评价结核分枝杆菌感染T细胞斑点试验（T-SPOT.TB）对淋巴结结核的辅助诊断价值.方法 本研究募集北京胸科医院2011年7月至2013年12月收治住院的淋巴结肿大患者185例,最终分为确诊结核性淋巴结组（51例）、非结核性淋巴结疾病组（105例）,其余诊断不明确或临床诊断淋巴结结核患者予以剔除.所有患者均行外周血T-SPOT.TB及免疫印迹法检测结核分枝杆菌抗体.采用SPSS 17.0进行统计学分析,非正态分布的计量资料数据用中位数（上下四分位数）[M（P25,P75）]表示,两组间斑点形成个数（SFCs）数据比较采用Mann WhitneyU检验,组间样本率的比较采用x2检验,以P＜0.05为差异具有统计学意义.结果 T-SPOT.TB和免疫印迹法检测结核分枝杆菌抗体的敏感度分别为92.2％（47/51）和60.8％（31/51）,特异度分别为79.0％（83/105）和77.1％（81/105）,T-SPOT.TB敏感度显著高于免疫印迹法检测结核分枝杆菌抗体方法,差异有统计学意义（x2=13.95,P＜0.01）.结核分枝杆菌特异抗原刺激下结核性淋巴结组SFCs中位数为242个（57,621个）/106外周血单个核细胞（PBMCs）,非结核性淋巴结疾病组SFCs中位数为0个（0,20个）/106 PBMCs,结核性淋巴结组SFCs数量显著高于非结核性淋巴结疾病组,应用Mann Whitney U检验,两组间差异具有统计学意义（U=472.0,P＜0.01）.在T-SPOT.TB结果阳性的69例患者中,47例结核性淋巴结患者SFCs的M（P25,P75）为280个（98,684个）/106 PBMCs,显著高于对照组22例非结核性淋巴结疾病患者SFCs的M（P25,P75）52个（35,93个）/106 PBMCs（U=146.5,P＜0.01）.结论 T-SPOT.TB方法在淋巴结结核的诊断中有着较高的敏感度,有可能成为淋巴结结核辅助诊断的一项重要手段.     

Is influenza-like illness a useful concept and an appropriate test of influenza vaccine effectiveness?

Purpose

To assess the utility of “influenza-like illness” (ILI) and whether it appropriately tests influenza vaccine effectiveness.

Principal results

The WHO and CDC definitions of “influenza-like illness” are similar. However many studies use other definitions, some not specifying a temperature and requiring specific respiratory and/or systemic symptoms, making many samples non-comparable. Most ILI studies find less than 25% of cases are RT-PCR-positive, those which test for other viruses and bacteria usually find multiple other pathogens, and most identify no pathogen in about 50% of cases. ILI symptom and symptom combinations do not have high sensitivity or specificity in identifying PCR-positive influenza cases. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests are increasingly used to screen ILI cases and they have low sensitivity and high specificity when compared to RT-PCR in identifying influenza.

Main conclusions

The working diagnosis of ILI presumes influenza may be involved until proven otherwise. Health care workers would benefit by renaming the WHO and CDC ILI symptoms and signs as “acute respiratory illness” and also using the WHO acute severe respiratory illness definition if the illness is severe and meets this criterion. This renaming would shift attention to identify the viral and bacterial pathogens in cases and epidemics, identify new pathogens, implement vaccination plans appropriate to the identified pathogens, and estimate workload during the viral season. Randomised controlled trials testing the effectiveness of influenza vaccine require all participants to be assessed by a gold standard (RT-PCR). ILI has no role in measuring influenza vaccine effectiveness. ILI is well established in the literature and in the operational definition of many surveillance databases and its imprecise definition may be inhibiting progress in research and treatment. The current ILI definition could with benefit be renamed “acute respiratory illness,” with additional definitions for “severe acute respiratory illness” (SARI) with RT-PCR testing for pathogens to facilitate prevention and treatment.     

蒙特利尔认知评估中文计算机软件的临床应用

目的 编制蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）中文计算机软件并观察其临床应用效果。方法 根据MoCA的操作和记分思想将其转换为中文计算机操作系统,软件生成后以69例轻度认知功能受损患者（MCI组）及80名健康体检者（对照组）为对象进行测试。结果 共有144例（96．64％）患者顺利完成软件版MoCA测试,两组MoCA评分除命名条目外（t=0．56,P=0．571）其余各条目得分及总分差异均有统计学意义（t=3．19～22．10,P〈0．01）。以26分为截断值,软件版MoCA诊断MCI的灵敏度为92．54％,特异度为89．61％,Youden指数为0．82。结论 本次研究生成的MoCA中文应用软件可用于临床筛查MCI,其较纸质版量表的优势值得探讨。     

An Examination of the Frequency of Invalid Forgetting on the Test of Memory Malingering

The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is the most used performance validity test in neuropsychology, but does not measure response consistency, which is central in the measurement of credible presentation. Gunner, Miele, Lynch, and McCaffrey (2012 Gunner, J. H., Miele, A. S., Lynch, J. K., & McCaffrey, R. J. (2012). The Albany Consistency Index for the Test of Memory Malingering. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 27(1), 1–9. doi:10.1093/arclin/acr089.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) developed the Albany Consistency Index (ACI) to address this need. The ACI consistency measurement, however, may penalize examinees, resulting in suboptimal accuracy. The Invalid Forgetting Frequency Index (IFFI), created for the present study, utilizes an algorithm to identify and differentiate learning and inconsistent response patterns across TOMM trials. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the ACI and IFFI against a reference test (Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction criteria), and to compare both to the standard TOMM indexes. This retrospective case-control study used 59 forensic cases from an outpatient clinic in Southern Kansas. Results indicated that sensitivity, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of the IFFI were superior to both the TOMM indexes and ACI. Logistic regression odds ratios were similar for TOMM Trial 2, Retention, and IFFI (1.25, 1.24, 1.25, respectively), with the ACI somewhat lower (1.18). The IFFI had the highest rate of group membership predictions (79.7%). Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.     

miRNAs in lung cancer: A link to aging

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Development of lung cancer is associated with exposure to carcinogens such as tobacco smoke and some environmental factors. The incidence of lung cancer increases with age, particularly after age 60. It was estimated that less than 2% of all lung cancer cases occurred in patients younger than 45; therefore, this type of tumor can be considered as an aging-related disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules capable of regulating expression of over 50% of protein-coding genes. miRNAs were shown to play an extremely important role in cell functioning, affecting all biological processes, as well as development of various diseases. Expression profiles of miRNAs are known to be altered in cancer, including lung cancer, and also exhibit changes during aging. These RNA molecules are stable in tissue sections and blood and reflect tumor origin, histotype, and stage, which make them candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. miRNA mimetics or inhibitors can be delivered into a cell, with possible therapeutic implications. Here, we review the results obtained during the last several years that demonstrate the aging-related regulation of miRNAs expression, in association with their role in lung cancer initiation, progression, and resistance to anticancer therapy, as well as the possibility to use miRNAs as predictive biomarkers for treatment response.     

新型肿瘤标志物:Mu-GlcNAc

作者发现了一个新的肿瘤标志物MA153,其化学结构为Mu-GlcNAc（粘蛋白1-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖）,它可与单克隆抗体Ma695和相关Aptamer（适配体MA153-A）形成Ma695-Mu-GlcNAc-MA153-A式的夹心反应。临床血清学检测表明,Mu-GlcNAc存在于癌症患者血中,以1U/mL为正常界值,Mu-GlcNAc的肿瘤特异度达95%,癌症检出的灵敏度对乳腺癌、胰腺癌、肝癌、肺癌、食管癌、口腔癌、结肠癌、胆管癌、卵巢癌、宫颈癌、子宫癌,分别为80%、74%、68%、70%、75%、50%、60%、55%、70%、64%、60%。本研究资料显示,Mu-GlcNAc是一个新的良好广谱肿瘤标志物。     

Porcelain laminate veneers: Clinical survey for evaluation of failure

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the failure of porcelain laminate veneers with factors related to the patient, material, and operator.MethodsThis clinical survey involved 29 patients (19 women and 10 men) and their dentists, including undergraduate and postgraduate dental students and dental interns. Two questionnaires were distributed to collect information from participants. All patients were clinically examined. Criteria for failure of the porcelain laminate veneers included color change, cracking, fracture, and/or debonding.ResultsA total of 205 porcelain laminate veneers were evaluated. All of the restorations were fabricated from IPS e.max Press and cemented with Variolink Veneer (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Principality of Liechtenstein) or RelyX veneer cement (3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA). The preparations were generally located in enamel (58.6%), and most veneers had an overlapped design (89.7%). Ten patients (34.48%) showed veneer failure, most often in terms of color change (60%). Overall, 82.8% of patients were satisfied with their restorations.ConclusionInsufficient clinical skills or operator experience resulted in restoration failure in one-third of patients.     

前列腺癌临床诊断中经直肠彩超引导下穿刺诊断的敏感度及特异度

目的 探讨前列腺癌(PCA)临床诊断中经直肠彩超引导下穿刺诊断的敏感度及特异度.方法 选取103例临床疑似PCA的患者为研究对象,以手术病理结果为诊断金标准,对患者分别采用经直肠彩超通过直肠壁显示前列腺诊断(A方案)、经直肠彩超引导下穿刺活检诊断(B方案).对2种诊断的敏感度、特异度和准确度进行统计学比较,分析2种诊断...     

核酸快速检测系统在新型冠状病毒检测中的应用评价

目的:探讨核酸快速检测系统在新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）检测中的性能与应用评价。方法:收集北京市疾病预防控制中心和中日友好医院检验科2020年2至7月的临床样本,评价核酸快速检测系统对SARS-CoV-2检测的敏感度、特异度、抗干扰能力、精密度以及临床样本检测符合率。分析敏感度的评价通过检测浓度梯度稀释的SAR...